Splitting the hourglass
by ViolaMoon
Summary: An accident involving the time-turners at the Department of Mysteries sends Hermione back to the Marauder Era. Will she be able to get back? Can/Should she try to prevent the events of the future? HGRL and a little JPLE. WIP - edited Feb 2020 and new chapter coming soon!
1. Chapter 1 : Escape through time

The battle was in full swing in the Department of Mysteries. Hermione was hiding in the Time Chamber with Harry and Neville, trying desperately to avoid detection from the Death Eaters who had ambushed them after Harry had found the prophecy.

The room was filled with clocks of every variety possible and some impossible. If this weren't a life-threatening situation, Hermione would so like to examine what was in this room.

Hermione had locked the door using Colloportus, and then there was a moment of silence as if they dared not breathe for the risk of being found by the Death Eaters. The strange twinkling light from the Bell Jar continued to illuminate the room, and they could hear Lucius Malfoy giving instructions on the other side. He had instructed them to divide into pairs to seek them all out.

Harry instructed them to get away from the door, and they started to run as quietly as they could. It was too late however as she heard "Alohomora."

The door burst open as the two Death Eaters came through the door. Hermione threw herself under a desk and was quickly followed by Neville and Harry. Hermione could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest as they approached where the teenagers were hiding. She could see their robes draw nearer.

"Check under the desks," came a cold voice, and she heard Harry shout "STUPEFY!" at the nearest Death Eater.

This caused the Death Eater to stumble backwards into a grandfather clock and knock it over. He was now unconscious.

Hermione, determined but terrified, began to climb out of the desk when she heard "Avada…" her heart stopped for a moment before she saw the flash of green light fly past into the wall next to her.

Wand in hand, she was about to disarm the man when Neville beat her to it, "EXPELLIARMUS!" she heard him cry.

Hermione sighed as she saw the wand fly out of the Death Eaters hand but also out of Harry's. She quickly scrambled to get Harry back his wand when she heard Neville cast another spell.

She glanced over at him, past the case of time turners she stood next to, their gold casings and chains glistering from the light of the bell jar.

She was suddenly blinded by a flash of purple light, and there came a sharp, throbbing pain in her side. The Death Eater had cast a wandless spell at her before she had a chance to defend herself.

Hermione heard Neville send a stunning spell at the Death Eater, but this missed, hitting the case beside her. She could not breathe, her ribs burning with pain and a hand on her side turned red.

Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she saw a flash of white light, and everything went blurry around her. She heard Harry's voice cry out for her and she felt like she was being dragged away from him. When her eyes could focus again, she watched as time reversed and she observed the skirmish rewind. Her eyes grew heavier and heavier until she saw no more.

* * *

Her head throbbed, and she felt sick. Hermione was on something soft. Her head felt like it was wrapped up in cotton wool and her eyes were glued shut. Her side hurt, it was then she was reminded of what happened. She carefully ran her hand down her side to where she had been hit and could no longer feel an open wound, but it hurt a lot.

That move in itself had tired her out, and Hermione felt herself slip back into the darkness where she dreamt fitfully of her friends and the events of that night.

She stood in a white space with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville. She watched as black smoke took them one by one away from her. Hermione cried out and tried to reach out to Harry, to Ron and the others, tears streaming down her face when it dawned on her that she might never see them again.

Purple light filled the space as her side burned and she dropped to her knees. "Don't leave me!" She sobbed, one hand clutching her side, the other grasping desperately at the air around her, desperately trying to reach her friends.

"Don't leave me.." She called again, weaker as the space fell dark before she felt her eyes open and realised she was in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. She quickly swung her head around, to see if Harry or Ron were there. This, she regretted as her head pounded from the move and they were nowhere in sight.

Resting her head carefully back on the pillow, Hermione now realised that Dumbledore stood at the end of her bed. Maybe the boys were fine, and she was the only one who was injured. Her head still throbbing, she struggled to make heads or tails of the situation.

"Hello my dear, nice of you to join us," he said with a gentle smile."May I ask your name?"

Hermione saw a curious twinkle in his eyes as she frowned. "But Professor, It's me. Hermione Granger" She said, her throat going dry. "I have been here at Hogwarts for five years now" Her heart started to pound loudly in her chest, so loud she could hear it. Why didn't he recognise her?

"I am sorry Miss Granger, but you must be mistaken. There is no student at Hogwarts by that name"


	2. Chapter 2 - Time to heal

"I am sorry Miss Granger, but you must be mistaken. There is no student at Hogwarts by that name."

Hermione looked at her headmaster, and her mind went blank for a moment. Madam Pomfrey came up to them and began examining her. "You were at death's door when they brought you to me," She said tutting as she forced a blood-strengthening potion down Hermione's throat. Her headache subsided and the fifth year girl could finally think again.

She turned her attention again to the professor. "Professor, may I ask you… " she stuttered, struggling to form a question.

"Yes, you may, my dear, and you may also ask another," he urged her with a slight twinkle.

Her lips chapped and dry. Hermione closed her eyes for a moment to collect her thoughts. Opening them once her head was no longer spinning, she realised that both the adults were younger than she remembered. There was one crucial question she had to ask.

"What year is it?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"It is 1976," the wizard stated. Looking over the young witch. "What year do you think it is?"

There was only one reason for her situation, and she knew it. She had gone back in time. Hermione looked from the professor to the matron and wondered first, how he had guessed that was what she was wondering and how much could she explain without it causing problems. There were severe consequences in terms of time travel.

"I don't know how much I can tell you, Professor," she said, looking carefully around the room. "What I know could have implications for so much."

Dumbledore moved to the side of her bed and placed a calm hand on hers. "The doors to the hospital wing are locked and warded. After you were found in the time chamber at the Department of Mysteries, I suspected that you were a traveller."

His presence and words calmed her, and she said, "It is 1996 where I am from. I have travelled twenty years into the past." Her airways felt like they were filling with lead and reality was starting to sink in. Her body sank into the bed, and her hands shook so much that she gripped the blankets that lay on top of her legs.

Just as the matron was about to hand the girl a calming potion, the professor waved her away with a simple hand gesture. Looking the frightened girl in the eyes, "Take a deep breath," he said calmly.

Hermione closed her eyes and drew as much air into her lungs as possible and felt part of the pressure leave her body as she exhaled.

"I was in the Department of Mysteries, and I think something hit a case of time-turners that I stood next to. This was just after someone hit me with a curse. I didn't hear what they called it." She said, Dumbledore's presence allowing her to remain calm. She needed his help if she was ever to go back if that was even possible. "There was a bright white light and then time seemed to go in reverse for a while. I passed out from the pain and woke up here."

Hermione looked over at the professor who was watching her intently cataloguing all the information he had heard and observed. Her own mind was racing, and from what she knew of her future professor, he was likely ten steps ahead of her, if not more like a hundred.

"Well, my dear girl, I guess that when the Time-Turners were destroyed, they created a portal. A portal so strong that you, the nearest living thing, was pulled through it." He hypothesized. "Time-Turners are dangerous, as such, the ministry carefully controls them and only allow a person to go back in time for a short time, but never forward and those who manage are often seriously harmed."

"As we know from the case of Eloise Mintumble," Hermione added. The professor nodded proudly. "I had permission to use a Time-Turner in my third year," she added somewhat shyly.

"I will work on finding a solution to this problem, but I must warn you. It is unlikely that you will be able to return home," he added with a slight pat on the top of her hand. "You should prepare yourself for the possibility of a new life here with us in the past."

"What about the timeline, Professor? Won't I change things just by being here? How can I possibly live here when I know what will happen in the future?" Her worries about her presence in this era filled her mind, she could change things. She could save Harry's parents, but it could also go horribly wrong.

"Hmm yes, for now, it is best Miss Granger if you focus on your recovery," Dumbledore rose. "The summer holidays have just started, and there are only a few people in the castle. Once you have recovered enough, we will meet again to discuss the situation and what we do from here." He waved the matron back over who had gone into her office while the pair were talking.

"Everything will be fine," he said before he moved out of the hospital wing and left Hermione alone with Madam Pomfrey. She was handed a smoking potion which caused her to feel all warm and sleepy, and the pain in her side went as she entered a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The first few days of her stay in the hospital wing went quickly. She spent her days in either a feverish slumber or being medically calmed using sleeping draughts as the reality of her situation set in.

Madam Pomfrey had discovered that the wound was cursed, and because of this was taking longer to heal than she had hoped. She had questioned Hermione at length to ascertain what spell had been used. All Hermione could remember was a purple light. The Matron had guessed that the spell was original, that the caster had created it and therefore they would have to work out a cure for themselves.

With a series of potions and spells, the wound was becoming less and less painful by the day. Madam Pomfrey had guessed that time travel had aggravated the injury and after using a particular potion known only to time researchers at the Department of Mysteries, she had started to recover.

It was a good thing too, as Hermione was going stir crazy. She had paced the length of the Hospital Wing ten times before the matron had allowed her to leave the wing. This was, of course, under strict instructions.

Hermione had to report back every other hour so the Matron could check her wound and her general welfare, she was not to leave the castle, and she should try to sit as much as possible. Her first ounce of freedom was used to just walk the halls, the castle seemed no different than how it had been in 1996 and this caused her to struggle with the reality of her situation; it seemed unreal.

Further trips into freedom had her exploring her favourite haunt, the Library. It was here that the truth had really sunk in for her. She visited a shelf she knew all too well. The Arithmancy shelf where she had devoured texts on her favourite subject. She had been in this very spot two weeks before, preparing for her O.W.L. in Arithmancy. She could picture the shelf accurately in her mind, there was a particular book missing yet the shelf was full.

'Where was 'New Theory of Numerology'? She wondered, looking at the other books. They were in better condition than she remembered, one particular book she remembered was falling apart, and the same book was brand new.

Tracing her hand along the shelf, Hermione felt the quiet energy of the library calm her mind. She was in the past, there was no doubt, but it left more questions than answers for the young Gryffindor.

Moving over to one of the many empty tables, Hermione sat down and rested her hands on her forehead. Her mind was racing. First, there was the battle that had sent her to this time. What had happened afterwards? Were the others okay? What was this prophecy that Harry had collected?

She hated not knowing and the thought that she might never see her friends and family again cut her up inside. Hermione turned her attention to the present or was it the past? She needed to speak to Dumbledore. She could not just wander the castle and not do something, anything, to help her situation.

* * *

It was now midway through July and Hermione had been in 1976 for about a month now. Madam Pomfrey had finally given Hermione an all clear, or at least permission to stay somewhere other than the Hospital Wing. She still had to visit daily for a check-up and a daily dose of potion. The matron erred on the side of caution to prevent a flare-up. There was evidence to believe that Hermione would have to take the potion for months, as a trial run of abstaining from it, which caused the wound to become infected.

Therefore, Hermione still had to take it every day. At least it tasted good, like bubblegum and mint humbugs, something her parents never gave her permission to eat, seeing as they were dentists. She took a deep breath at the thought; it stung to think of her family and friends and so, for the time being, she did her best to distract herself.

She gathered up the few belongings she had, they had given her some old clothes; a few sets of old robes to wear for now, and a library book she had borrowed, 'Ancient Runes Made Easy'. Hermione knew if almost off by heart but it was familiar, and she clung to it like a child to their blanket. She felt naked without her wand, it had not been with her when she woke a month ago, and from what she could guess, it hadn't come with her.

Hermione's destination was the Headmaster's office. It was time for answers and time for decisions. If she couldn't go back, she needed to have something to do. She was fed up of being in limbo, Hermione was lonely and frustrated, and she needed to help in whatever way she could.

Arriving at the spiral staircase, she had received the password from Madam Pomfrey. "Jelly Babies," she said, with a slight smile, he still had his affinity for muggle sweets. The staircase in front of her started moving, and she quickly hopped on as it climbed higher and higher up until she stood in front of Dumbledore's door. Knocking on the door, she heard a 'Come in, Miss Granger.' from the other side.

The professor sat at his desk with a great tome of a book in front of him. Looking up at the girl, he smiled and closed the book, using his wand to direct it back onto the shelf. "Please have a seat, Miss Granger, I have heard from Poppy that you are well enough to leave the hospital wing," he said, gesturing toward a seat in front of his desk.

Hermione sat down. "Yes Professor, my wound has healed mostly, but I need to continue with the potion."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, we are in contact with experts in the fields of cursed wounds and time-travel, all sworn to secrecy. We will find a way to heal you completely." Hermione could see a pile of notes on her desk, full of scribbles and calculations.

"Now on to the important part," Dumbledore continued with a kind smile. "We have been unsuccessful in finding a way to send you home."

"It is because a time turner can go back in time but not forward right?" she asked, dejectedly as her heart sank.

The headmaster simply nodded. "This leaves you with one option. You will continue your school at this time," he stated.

"But Professor, what about the timeline? I know so much about what is to come, I can't just sit by and do nothing. I don't even know if I can tell you anything," she said, fiddling with her fingers as a source of restless energy inhabited her.

"From your behaviour and the circumstances of your arrival, that must mean that a certain Dark Wizard is still present in the future," he concluded. "Tell me, had my future self, or anyone else found a way to defeat him?"

Hermione bit her lip, how much could she say? "No, you hadn't discovered a way yet." From what she had found out about time-travel back in her third year, there were two theories. The first was that the slightest change would cause a ripple effect through the future, creating unbirths and drastically changing the timeline. The other was an alternate timeline, where it splits at crucial decision or event meaning that the future she came from would now differ completely from the future would result as of her participation in this era.

"All I can say, Professor, is that there was an incident in the early eighties where he was thought defeated, a killing curse rebounded on him, but he somehow survived and came back to power over a year ago." She hoped that wasn't too much information. Despite the risk, something inside her told Hermione that she could not just sit by and watch the future unfold itself in the same way again.

"I think that should be all, for now, Miss Granger," he said, raising a hand to prevent her from continuing. "For now, I want you to prepare for your sixth year at Hogwarts. We will tell the other students that you are a transfer student. Is there a school you would prefer to hail from?" He asked, looking at the girl inquisitively.

"Well, I have spent some time in France, and we had Beauxbatons visit us last year so I could pass for one of their students." She smiled. "As for my reason for transferring, I lost my parents in a Death Eater attack and had to move back to England." Her lip quivering slightly at the thought of her parents.

"It is not that far from the truth," she mumbled, her hands shaking and mind starting to go cloudy as her parents and friends haunted her thoughts.

Dumbledore waited for her to collect herself and then spoke to her gently, "Yes that should satisfy the curious." He looked down at her through his half-moon glasses. "You will be referred to as my niece, a distant relation but your remaining family, and therefore you will be under my protection, legally speaking. Let me see, your mother was a squib on my mother's side of the family," he said thoughtfully, straightening his long grey beard for a moment.

"I have instructed Professor McGonagall to take you to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your school supplies. I imagine you will want a new wand," he said kindly.

"Have you met her before?" he asked, "She has just come back from a small spot by the seaside, a lovely spot if one needs a break or simply to have a swim," he said dreamily as if he was jealous of a short break from the castle. This caused Hermione to giggle at the idea of Professor Dumbledore in swimming trunks on the beach.

He chuckled. "Yes, even old professors like me need some sun and sea air. It is important to cherish those moments in life," he said knowingly, glad that she had smiled for the first time since she had arrived in his care.

"Sorry Sir, yes, Professor McGonagall was my Head of House," she replied, her pale cheeks turning red.

"Ah, so you are a Gryffindor, good. We need more sixth year girls. There are only two this year in my old house," he said kindly.

"That settles it, you may head up there and get yourself settled, the password is 'Sock Puppet'," he said handing her a small bag of money. "Please meet Professor McGonagall in the Entrance Hall at 9am tomorrow Miss Granger and do take some Jelly Babies on your way out, they are rather moreish."


	3. Chapter 3: Time for a new friend

The Gryffindor common room was exactly the same. She had relished in the feeling as she stepped into the common room shortly after leaving Dumbledore's office. Snacking on the pocket full of Jelly Babies she had helped herself to from his office, Hermione found her usual seat by the fireplace, kicking her shoes off to tuck her legs under her.

She finally felt at home after her long stay in the hospital wing. Hugging her library book in her lap, she sniffed and shed a single tear. She was finally alone, even though she could easily find a place to have a moment to herself in the castle, this was her first moment where she could close the door and truly give herself time to think and to grieve.

Over the last month, it had come in waves. The severity of her injury and how it had been worsened because of the time travel meant that she barely had had time to think about the fact that she would never see her parents and friends again or the reality of her situation, for that matter. While there was a chance that she could be sent back, she was not counting on it.

But maybe, just, maybe she could ask to see her parents later, when she had settled in, without telling them who she was. If she could just see them one more time, it would make things at least a bit better. Where were her parents anyway in 1976? She couldn't remember and this frustrated her deeply.

The thought left her sobbing, clinging to the book as if it were her teddy bear. "Mum, Dad, I am sorry, I will find you," she murmured, staring blankly into the unlit fireplace. Hermione felt so alone that she thought that the room would swallow her whole. She wanted to scream. Exhausted, she pulled herself from the sofa and looked around. It wouldn't be long before she had to share the room with a load of strangers. What did she even know about the students of this year? She wracked her brain but tiredness and the lingering pain from her injury clouded her mind.

Realising that she would not make any progress on that front tonight, Hermione pulled herself up the staircase to the girl's dormitory and saw that there was a trunk in front of one of the three beds. Opening it up, she saw a set of muggle clothing and a set pyjamas. The clothes looked like some of her mum's old clothes and Hermione realised that this must be the fashion style in this time. She placed the book and the other odds and ends she had with her from the Hospital Wing in the trunk; she changed into the pyjamas and quickly fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke to find a tray at the foot of her bed. It was laden with enough food to feed three of her. A mountain of toast, a large bowl of cereal with milk ready for pouring, three boiled eggs and a large jug of pumpkin juice. In addition to the food, was a vial of potion and a note attached to it.

_Dear Miss Granger, _

_I hope you enjoyed a peaceful night in the Gryffindor tower. I have asked Madam Pomfrey to send your morning potion with your breakfast this morning as a matter of expediency. As we discussed yesterday, Professor McGonagall will wait for you in the entrance hall at 9 am this morning. I wish you a productive trip where you can get everything you may need for the coming school year. _

_With kind regards, _

_Professor Albus Dumbledore. _

Starting with the potion, Hermione quickly downed it and laid the vial to one side with the note. She then started on the mountain of food in front of her. Someone in the castle had decided she needed fattening up, apparently. Managing to eat all the cereal, two pieces of toast and a boiled egg, she was well and truly full and ready to get dressed. She pulled out the muggle clothes she had seen the night before and pulled them on. A pair of flared jeans, a floral shirt, and a plain red cardigan. Looking in the mirror, Hermione couldn't help but be reminded of her mum's old films that she always tried to watch when her dad wasn't around. "If only you could see me now, Mum," she said with a sad smile. She would make them proud even if they could never find out what she would do.

Another look in the trunk rewarded Hermione with a leather book bag. She picked it up and put the pouch of money she had received from Dumbledore in it. Checking the clock on the wall, she realised that she had only ten minutes to get downstairs to meet McGonagall. She quickly looked around the room but saw nothing more she needed to take with her before she headed downstairs.

* * *

Professor McGonagall looked almost the same as in her time, a bit younger yes, but the same stern yet kind expression. As Hermione arrived, the professor turned to survey her. "Miss Granger I presume?" She asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, you must be Professor McGonagall," she stated. "Thank you for taking me to Diagon Alley today."

"It is not a problem. You are to be one of my students and Professor Dumbledore's niece. I am happy to help," she said curtly.

If Hermione had not known the professor since she was eleven, She probably would have thought she was annoyed, she knew to the contrary that the Professor was a very kind person. Hermione was glad for the chance to spend the day with someone she knew even if the professor didn't know her yet.

They set off, heading for the fireplace by the entrance hall. Grabbing a handful of Floo powder, Hermione waited for the Professor to go first before she followed. Once the green flames had died down, Hermione took a step into the fireplace and threw the powder down at her feet. "Diagon Alley!" she said, remembering to be clear and concise.

She arrived safely, albeit slight dusty in the Leaky Cauldron where the professor was talking to a girl about her age. She had thick, dark red hair that came down to her shoulders and green, almond-shaped eyes. Hermione gasped inwardly, Harry's eyes. She was his mother. Her mind went completely blank, she had not thought about who she would go to Hogwarts with in this time-period. The shock of everything meant that she hadn't put two and two together, she would go to school with Harry's parents, Sirius and Remus.

Her hands grew clammy and just as she was about to spiral, she heard a "Miss Granger?"

Hermione shook her head to lift the clouds forming in her mind. She saw that Professor McGonagall and Lily were looking at her, with concerned looks on their faces. "I am fine," she deflected quickly. "I just got a bit queasy from the Floo, I am still recovering after all. "

"What were you saying?" she asked, feeling that her deflection hadn't fooled the professor.

"I would like to introduce you to one of your classmates and another member of Gryffindor house," the professor repeated.

The girl stepped forward. "Hello, I am Lily Evans," she said, holding a hand out to Hermione. "We will share a dormitory at Hogwarts."

Hermione could see the same kindness in Lily's eyes that she saw in Harry's and she felt instantly at home. She reached out and took her hand. "Nice to meet you, I am Hermione Granger."

"Miss Evans has agreed to accompany you while I run some errands for the headmaster. Meet me back here at two o'clock," the professor informed her before handing Hermione a list.

She recognised it instantly as the school supply list for the year, but feigned ignorance just to convince them she was new at Hogwarts.

"You will find all the things you need on there, plus a few essentials," the professor said and handed her another pouch full of coin, "I know Professor Dumbledore gave you some funds but just in case, if you find an interesting book or something."

"Thank you Professor, that is very kind of you." Hermione smiled at her, placing the pouch in the bag with the other bag of coins.

"Well, shall we?" Lily asked, looking over Hermione's shoulder at her list. "We have lots to buy, it seems!" Lily waved her own list of supplies with a broad smile.

Hermione nodded and allowed Lily to lead the way.

* * *

While they waited for Madam Malkin to finish fitting Hermione for her new robes and other essentials, they chatted to each other and got to know each other.

"You are Muggle-born too?" Lily asked excitedly. "What made you switch schools so late?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I am Muggle-born. I was born here in England, but we moved to France when I was about five. When we found out I was a witch, I was accepted into Beauxbatons, it seemed best so my parents didn't have to sell their dental practice so I could go to Hogwarts." She had rehearsed the story, just to make sure it was believable.

"We were on holiday in Wales visiting my dad's family when we were attacked," she said, placing a hand on her side, on the healed wound. "I… I… was the only one who survived." Her head falling as tears fell silently down her cheeks.

It was heartbreaking being in Diagon Alley without her Mum and Dad. She didn't go with them every year but standing there on the same stool in Madam Malkin's, she could help but be reminded of the parallels between her first time getting fitted for Hogwarts then and now.

A hand gripped hers, and she looked up into a pair of green eyes. "I am so sorry," Lily whispered, ignoring Madam Malkin's protests and giving Hermione a hug, anyway. "We can talk about this again when you are ready," she added, pressing a lace handkerchief into Hermione's hand.

Hermione wiped her eyes with it and nodded weakly. "Thank you, it is just still so raw," she said. "I can continue a little though, it turned out that my mother was a squib and she was related to Professor Dumbledore, so he is now my guardian."

"Ah that is why you are coming to Hogwarts!" Lily said with a smile, "Small blessings perhaps?" she asked, trying to get Hermione to smile.

Hermione laughed. "Yes, we should definitely count our blessings. It meant I made a great new friend." Hermione stepped down from the stool as Madam Malkin handed her a bag full of robes, a selection of weekend clothes and a load of underwear. She gave the shopkeeper a handful of coins and then they moved onto the next item on her list.

* * *

They spent most of the morning chatting happily to each other, Hermione's outburst at Madam Malkin's had burst a bubble in her and she could enjoy her day away from the castle and her new friend Lily. They had bought a new cauldron for Hermione, potion supplies, a telescope, and a set of brass scales. It was just like she was a first year; they had joked.

Lily asked few questions about her past. Hermione could see now why Lily had been described as uncommonly kind, she knew how to ease a person's suffering just by talking to them. Instead, they talked about school, what subjects they both enjoyed, gossip about people in their year - so Hermione was prepared - Lily said.

There were two important stops left on their shopping tour, two at least that they needed for school. They stopped in front of the shop that was all too familiar. They entered as the doorbell rang and Hermione took in the dusty interior where boxes lined the walls and a call came from the back of the room "I'll be right there!"

The man stepped forward and looked at the two girls. He looked younger but Hermione knew; it was Mr Ollivander.

"Miss Evans, it is a pleasure to see you again," The man greeted them, "You have brought me a new customer I see." He still had the same focused manner as if he was trying to read and analyse every element of their behaviour, in order to find the exact right wand for his customers.

"Hello Mr Ollivander, it is nice to see you again." Lily smiled at the man. "This is Hermione Granger. She lost her old wand and needs a new one." Hermione felt all attention turn to her and she felt her cheeks redden for a moment.

"May I ask what wand you had before, my dear? Maybe a similar wand will do," he asked, looking at her with a curious expression as if he was trying to read her.

Hermione could picture her old wand in her mind's eye — feel it in her hand as if it was just yesterday she had lost it. She felt like she had lost a limb and she felt disabled without it.

"I had a vine wood wand with a dragon heartstring core," she told him and he had barely let her finish before he bounded into the back of the store and returned with a dusty box.

Hermione withheld a gasp as she saw what wand he had presented to her. It was HER wand, the one she would get in fifteen years' time in this very shop. She shakily reached out and took the wand out of the box and smiled at the familiarity of it.

Despite this, Hermione felt something odd — she couldn't quite put her finger on what but the wand just didn't seem to sit right with her. She tried to perform a simple charm, "Wingardium Leviosa" with a swish and flick motion at the vase of flowers on the desk. The vase lifted off the desk for a moment before it wavered and fell to the floor, smashing into a hundred pieces, the once beautiful flowers strewn across the floor.

At that, her once familiar wand was snatched from her hand with a "No, that won't do." It shocked Hermione. She did not know what to think. How could her wand not suit her anymore? "It seems that you shouldn't have a vine wood wand anymore," Ollivander stated. "Have you been through any major life changes recently?" He asked, looking over the girl. Hermione felt her face betray her as her lower lip quivered with sadness and her eyes starting to tear.

Hermione felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and looked up to see Lily there with a warm smile on her face. "That can explain why you need a differently wand now as your life has changed course." Lily added, "I have studied a bit about wandlore." Hermione saw the girl give a sheepish yet somehow proud grin.

In the meantime, Mr Ollivander was back with a new wand. Hermione took it and felt a warmth at her fingertips. The wand was smooth except for a small indent at the base of the wand. She cast a simple repairing charm of the vase, it not only repaired itself but the vase seemed to shine even brighter than before.

This was her new wand, it felt like a long-lost part of her and the magic seemed to flow differently than she remembered in her previous wand.

"Yes, that is the wand for you," Mr Ollivander said, nodding at her. "Rowan wood wand with a phoenix feather core, 9 inches, slightly pliant," he stated, starting to ring up the till and asked for seven galleons.

As Hermione paid for her new wand, Mr Ollivander looked at her, "You must be pure of heart Miss Granger and destined for great things, only such a destiny would grant you such a wand."

She thanked him and waved for Lily to follow her as they headed to their last stop of the day, Flourish and Blotts.

As they walked, Hermione thought about what Ollivander had said. Had her future changed that much? She had thought her previous wand said something about her destiny, that she was to help Harry in the fight against Lord Voldemort. She had thought about joining the order and working to defeat the dark forces at work in her time.

She knew what that wand had meant, that she had a greater purpose but what did it all mean now. Hermione was pulled from her thoughts by Lily who had asked her a question. "So do you have houses at Beauxbatons like at Hogwarts?"

Luckily, Hermione had done some reading on Beauxbatons both during her fourth year during the Triwizard cup and again during her idle time in the castle recently. She wanted to make sure that she could sound convincing at times like this.

"Yes, there are three houses, Bellefeuille was my house, they are known for bravery, sensitivity, loyalty and love of nature," she explained, Hermione thought Bellefeuille sounded the most like Gryffindor so it was the safest bet. She watched Lily's face with amusement, she was clearly fascinated by this. "So what are the other ones?" She asked as they headed inside the bookstore and started picking up the books they needed from the tables labeled 'Hogwarts Sixth Year'

"There are two others ,Ombrelune — who are cunning and logical and Papillonlisse — who are known to be kind and artistic," Hermione explained.

"What classes are you taking?" Hermione asked to which Lily showed Hermione her book list.

Hermione noticed that they had a lot of the same classes, the major difference was that Lily was taking Astronomy where Hermione had chosen Care of Magical Creatures. They both were taking Defence against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy.

"Oh, you are taking Arithmancy too?" Lily asked. "You will like our professor, Professor Vector. She is very nice and likes to involve us in her research." Hermione had picked up both the textbook for this year, in addition to the older textbook, the one she had had in her third year, just in case. Arithmancy had to be one of her favourite subjects.

"Yes, I find the subject fascinating. I wonder what we will learn this year," Hermione said. her fingers itching to crack the book open and devour all the information inside.

"Well anyway, I think that about covers all of our books. Is there any other books you want to get?" Lily asked, "You got that money from Professor McGonagall after all."

Hermione nodded, thankful for the reminder. She wondered what she should get, something for fun or something useful? It was a difficult choice but then as she was looking around, she saw it. Hogwarts: A History — it had to be that. Hermione reached up and picked up a copy, running her hand over the familiar print.

"Oh, good choice!" Lily exclaimed, looking at her choice. "I got this one too when I started in first year. It will help you a lot I think" The girl smiled at her and Hermione realised that she was happy for the first time in a while, she was beginning to feel at home here.

She saw a very familiar book in the nearby Arithmancy section, 'New Theory of Numerology.' It had been a Christmas present from Harry last year and she had loved it. With the extra money from McGonagall, she would have enough for it and Hogwarts: A History. She picked it up, and placed it in the pile with the others. "My best friend got me this book for Christmas but it was destroyed…" she explained. Lily nodded, understanding.

"Let's pay for these and get going. I am sure the professor is waiting for us now, " Hermione said, lifting the heavy pile of books over to the counter.

Behind her came a crash and a yell, Hermione's heart felt like it would fly out of her chest and her mind went completely blank. Were they under attack? She was having trouble breathing and her vision grew clouded.

"Hermione!" Came a voice and someone shook her and a hand reaching into hers. "Breath Hermione, it's all right." Hermione took a shaky breath and closed her eyes for a moment as she took another.

Opening them, she saw a concerned Lily kneeling in front of her. She felt her heartbeat slow down and her head cleared. "You had a panic attack when one of the shopkeepers knocked a stack of books over. It is alright, you are fine and safe," Lily explained.

Hermione felt so embarrassed, why did she react like that? Lily paid for their purchases and then helped Hermione out of the store. "Let's go meet McGonagall, I think you have had enough for one day."

The trip back to the Leaky Cauldron was a blur; she felt so tired as if she had used all of her brain capacity and could no longer think clearly. Lily had explained to the Professor what had happened and the Professor had a concerned look at Hermione, who felt like the floor should swallow her up whole for all the embarrassment.

Lily hugged Hermione. "I will see you soon, the Professor told me that you will ride the train with us all, just to get the whole experience. I will meet you on the platform and we can sit together."

"I will see you soon then Lily, thank you" Hermione hugged Lily back, grateful for her new friend and also clinging to the feeling that she was hugging Harry.

With that, Lily left to meet her parents on the other side in Muggle London and Professor McGonagall lead Hermione back to Hogwarts with firm instructions to see Madam Pomfrey when they got back. Hermione just wanted to go to bed, but she did not have the energy to disagree.


	4. Chapter 4 - Time to travel

After hearing about Hermione's panic attack in the bookstore, Madam Pomfrey gave the girl a powerful calming potion and ordered her straight to bed. Luckily she could go back to the privacy of the Gryffindor common room. Her head felt like it was wrapped up in cotton-wool and she was exhausted. She practically dragged herself back to the common room, the journey from the Hospital Wing usually took about 10 minutes, but today it felt like an hour had gone by before Hermione reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and was given permission to enter.

Relishing in the silence of the empty common room, Hermione headed straight up to her dormitory. Despite her exhaustion, she wanted at least to put her things away before she went to sleep. She noticed for the first time that aside for a bed and trunk for each student, there was also a desk and a small bookshelf. 'The perks of being an older student,' she thought.

Most her new books found a new home on the bookshelf but Hogwarts: A History was placed on her bedside table. The rest of her possessions were placed systematically in her trunk, she liked order, and therefore she arranged each item in a way that was easy to find.

The final piece of the puzzle, her wand was placed by her bedside, and she looked at it in wonder. Her destiny had changed, that was the conclusion she had drawn from her trip to Ollivanders, that is the only thing that could explain it. She wondered, did that mean that the timeline had already changed?

* * *

The remaining days of the lonely summer holidays were finally winding down. Hermione had spent the last few days exploring the castle, reading her new books and practising her magic with the new wand. She didn't want to fall behind, so while she didn't memorise the books, she had read them through at least once each. She was so happy to have the Numerology book back, she hadn't had much of a chance to read it last year, what with O.W.L.S, Umbridge and the whole issue of Harry's scar. Now she had finally had a chance to look through it.

She was particularly interested in the part of Arithmancy that was related to prediction of the future. Maybe there was something Arithmancy could help her decide what to do, how her presence was affecting the timeline, what would happen if she did something. Something that could save so many people.

It was the night before Hermione would join her fellow students on the Hogwarts Express. Her last night before she would have to share the dormitory with Lily and Mary (who Lily had told her about when they were shopping in Diagon Alley), the last night of having the common room all to herself. Hermione hadn't had any more panic attacks since Diagon Alley but she wasn't convinced that they were over. Considering the fact that she was alone most of the time. She was both happy and sad to say goodbye to her solitary summer.

Hermione was looking forward to seeing Lily again but dreading meeting everyone else. Everyone in her time talked about how much Harry looked like his father and she hoped that they weren't true. She missed him and Ron so much; it was agony not being able to see them, that they did not exist in her time, they may as well be dead and she grieved them terribly as she did her parents.

She still struggled to fathom the fact that she would attend school with the Marauders and her Potions professor, Snape. Hermione wondered how much of the talk about the Marauders being bullies was true, Lily had hinted at it but mostly, she seemed not to want to talk about them.

Standing up from the bed, Hermione decided that there was more time to reflections later as she needed to pack a few things ready for the trip tomorrow. She would not be taking her trunk and most of her supplies, that seemed a bit of a waste but her book bag with a single book, her school robes and some money for the trolley would do.

Placing it on top of her trunk, she felt finally ready for tomorrow. Hermione took a single dose of her potion (which was delivered by house elf each day) and got ready for bed. Her second first day at Hogwarts was about to begin.

* * *

The trip to Kings Cross was made by use of Floo Powder again, where Professor Dumbledore had seen her off. "Enjoy your journey, I am certain that you will appreciate the experience and make some good friends. You are welcome to come and visit me whenever you like, provided that it is outside of your classes. You are my niece, after all," he said with a subtle wink and a gentle smile. Hermione thought that even though they weren't really family, it felt like they were. She had had many a talk with him over the course of the summer, just idle chatter really.

He had insisted that she kept her knowledge of the future to herself, at least for now. They had agreed, however, that Hermione should try not to act on what she knew; to Hermione, this meant being friendly towards Peter despite knowing of his future betrayal. She wanted to believe that he could be won over, that something must have caused him to go to Lord Voldemort and betray the Potters. She would have to wait and see what happened as much as she wanted so desperately to make sure that he couldn't betray them in this time.

She arrived on Platform 9 3/4 at approximately 10:40, there were twenty minutes until the train departed and Hermione looked around for Lily. Dusting herself off, she headed towards where she knew people came in from the Muggle part of the station. Students moved all around her; hugging goodbye to parents and younger siblings, hauling trunks and cages with various animals on board the train.

Behind her she heard a voice, "James!" followed by another "Remus!" and she spun around carefully as not to draw attention to herself. Through the crowd, she could see them. A single tear graced her cheek, there were definitely a few differences; the eyes for one and his nose was longer but there was no doubt, this was her best friend's father.

Hastily wiping away the tear, she examined the rest of the group and recognised Sirius Black and Remus Lupin instantly. The pair looked several decades younger (more than the twenty that had passed) and she realised that Remus's lycanthropy and Sirius's stay at Azkaban had prematurely aged them in her time.

Hermione noticed that all three boys were incredibly handsome as the gaggle of girls around them showed. Sirius had dark, wavy hair and the same grey eyes that gave off an aura of casual elegance and confidence and Remus gave off the same gentle presence that Hermione remembered, he was taller than she remembered with light brown hair and warm brown eyes.

She continued to look around for Lily when she heard a "Hermione!" at the same time as she listened to the boys greet a stout boy — Peter. She turned around and saw Lily walking over to her pushing a trolley with her trunk on top of it.

"Lily, it's good to see you again!" She walked over to the redhead and gave her a hug. "Shall we get onto the train?" Hermione asked, eager to get away from the throng of people arriving at the station. Something about the crowds made her anxious as if she was in the way or not knowing where to go. She did not notice a pair of brown eyes watching her leave.

Lily nodded, and the two girls headed over to the train. Hermione was about to give her a hand getting her trunk onto the train when Lily put her hand up to stop her. "No, you are not to lift anything. I know you are still recovering so I can manage" Hermione looked perturbed but accepted it. "Well, I will push your trolley away then," she said, feigning a look of irritation and then she grinned at Lily.

When she got back, Lily was waiting for her just inside the train, and they headed down the corridor to find an empty compartment. Luckily, they were one of the first people on the train, so they found a place to sit quickly. Hermione sat down by the window and placed her bag on the rack above her. Lily sat down on the other side of the compartment and smiled at her new friend.

"Did you enjoy the rest of your holiday?" She asked. "I envy you having the whole castle to yourself. It will feel so different this evening when the whole school is there."

Hermione nodded, as she watched more and more people pile onto the train. "I did, it got lonely, but I spent time with Uncle Albus and read my books." She smiled at the agreement she had with the professor, that she would call him Uncle except in official capacities. "I have also explored the castle, to make sure I can find my way around."

Outside the compartment was getting busier and busier. Lily looked at her watch and then looked out of the window. "It is almost 11 now. We should depart soon. Once we are out of the station, I have to leave you for a bit to go to a prefect meeting. Will you be okay on your own?" she asked, with a concerned look in her eye. Hermione appreciated the consideration but also wanted everything to be normal again.

"I will be fine." Hermione smiled at Lily and reached for her bag, pulling her Arithmancy textbook out and holding it up for Lily to see.

"Some light reading I see?" A voice sounded from the corridor, the two girls looked up to see four boys standing in the doorway. The voice was vaguely familiar, and it took a moment for her to realise that her old Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher had asked her, it was Remus's voice. It sounded almost the same, but it had a lighter tone to it as if his whole soul was not so troubled in this time.

"Yes, I find it fascinating," she said with a sheepish smile. She was used to Harry and Ron teasing her about her reading habits, it was strange being teased in front of four 'relative' strangers. She looked over at Lily, and she seemed peeved. She was shooting evil looks at James Potter, and then Hermione remembered what Harry had told her after an Occlumency lesson with Snape, that James had bullied Snape and caused Snape to call Lily, a Mudblood. She apparently hadn't forgiven him yet.

Remus stepped forward and looked at Lily, "I am sorry Lily but everywhere else is full, do you mind if we join you?"

Lily looked like she was contemplating it for a moment before sighing, "Yes, it's fine." The boys moved in and sat down, Sirius and James sitting on the same row as Lily, James sitting furthest away from her. That left Remus and Peter on her side, Remus sat next to her.

"This is Hermione Granger, she is a transfer student from Beauxbatons and Dumbledore's niece" Lily introduced her. Hermione placed the book on her lap and looked over at the four boys.

"Welcome!" James said with a big grin," I am James Potter, this handsome fellow beside me is Sirius Black." Each boy offering her a hand which she shook with a smile, it was a little unreal to be talking to Harry's father and found herself staring at him for just a moment before she turned her attention to the boys on her row.

"I am Remus Lupin," Remus said with a gentle smile, offering her his hand as well, and then Peter looked shyly over at her and mumbled, "Peter Pettigrew."

James looked over at Peter and then turned his attention to Hermione again, "Don't worry about Peter, he is a little shy at first, he will warm up to you eventually," he said, giving her an encouraging smile. "How do you and Evans know each other, then?" He asked curiously, looking between the two of them.

"We met in Diagon Alley, Professor McGonagall took me to get my school supplies, and we met her there, so Lily showed me which shops to visit," Hermione explained and before they could ask about her situation, she continued; "My family were killed at the beginning of summer, so I have been living at Hogwarts since then,"

There was an exclaim of outrage from the boys, "Death Eaters?" asked Sirius, his face tightening in rage.

Hermione nodded, she felt her cheeks turn red as the attention that was already set on her, became more intense. "I was the only survivor, so my Uncle Albus insisted that I move schools to Hogwarts so he could look out for me. I am still recovering."

Lily looked over at the boys and then at Hermione, "You guys better help her feel at home," she said in a very 'prefect-like' voice - authoritative and stern. "Anyway, Remus, we need to get to the prefect meeting," she said, looking over at the boy. He nodded and followed Lily out. "We'll talk more later, nice to meet you, Hermione," he said with a little wave. Hermione felt her heart flutter just for a second, but she thought nothing of it. He was just a familiar presence in an unfamiliar time, it couldn't mean much more than that.

The compartment was suddenly silent as if no-one knew what to say or do. Hermione suddenly felt very awkward being alone with her best friend's father, godfather and the guy who would betray them. She looked out of the window just to avoid the awkwardness that had arisen in Lily and Remus' absence. "So Dumbledore is your uncle? Is it strange going to his school and him being the headmaster?" James asked, pulling Hermione's attention back to the room.

"Yes, he is but we barely know each other. It was revealed in my mother's will that she was a squib. She was his second cousin on his mother's side. So we are distantly related but as there is no-one else… he is now my guardian," Hermione explained. "So it won't seem strange at school with him as the headmaster. We have gotten to know each other and I welcome his company but this is still so new."

"Well, you are very welcome with us, do you have to be sorted when we get to school?" James asked curiously, looking at her intently as if trying to predict what she was saying and taking in all her body language. Sirius had now spread himself out on the seat where Lily had once sat, his hands placed behind his head and feet up on the seat next to James. Hermione wondered how that could be comfortable. The Hogwarts Express was not exactly known for its comfortable seats. Peter, on the other hand, was listening actively to what they were saying as if to gauge whether Hermione was safe to talk to.

"I was sorted after I arrived at Hogwarts, well when I was well enough to leave the hospital wing," she said with a slight grimace, she did not think fondly of her time in the hospital wing, she was there far too long. "I was sorted into Gryffindor," Upon her utterance of 'Gryffindor,' Sirius practically jumped out of his seat with a "YES!" before becoming more composed and looked at Hermione intensely with a look which she could only read as flirtation. "I knew it when I saw you. You must be a lion like the rest of us." He winked at her and despite herself, Hermione felt herself blush. "Well, I was in Bellefeuille at Beauxbatons, where we value bravery and loyalty." She said with a smile. "My best friends were braver than I am though," she said with a bit of a downcast look, "I thought that I might be sorted into Ravenclaw but the hat insisted" She ran her hand over the book on her lap to comfort herself.

She felt a body bound into the seat beside her and a warm arm wrapped around her shoulders. Hermione looked up to see a broad grin, and the owner of this was Sirius. "I bet you are braver than you think," he said, seeming to be wiser than he looked. "I know it must be hard, being so far from everything and everyone you know but we Marauders have your back as a fellow Gryffindor."

"Here, here," More than one voice in the compartment rang out, she looked around and saw not only James but Remus and Lily were smiling at her as well. Peter was strangely silent but Hermione felt no hostility from him. She hoped that she could befriend him, maybe that would prevent the events of the future from happening?

"Thank you, everyone," Hermione said as a single tear fell down her cheek. They were as nice as she remembered, at least from first impressions. Remus and Lily sat down in the empty seats that Sirius had previously taken up. Sirius had now removed his arm from her shoulder and began animatedly talking with James and Peter at their plans for the school year. Hermione heard whispers of 'Pranks' and 'Snivillus' and hoped she heard wrong. In the meantime, Lily had caught Hermione's attention and was asking how she was doing.

"I am fine thanks, the boys were on their best behaviour and we just chatted about the fact that I am a Gryffindor and about Dumbledore," she quickly recapped for the two.

Remus smiled warmly at her. "I am sure you will have a great time with us in Gryffindor and in time, your wounds will heal." Hermione got the feeling that he was talking about more than just her physical wounds, he looked on her with both kindness and sympathy as if he knew what she was going through.

"I hope you don't mind Hermione, I filled in Remus a bit about your situation and what happened." Lily looked worried for a moment as of she was concerned about betraying Hermione's trust but that just made Hermione like her even more.

"I don't mind. It saves me having to tell. It is still hard." Hermione played with her hands for a moment but felt someone touch them gently, it was Remus.

"I haven't been exactly what you are going through, but I have experienced something similar and that of losing someone you hold dear," Remus told her, "My mum is very ill, so I visit her once a month, just to keep her spirits up. If I lost her… well, I just empathise with your situation." His voice seemed barely above a whisper but it drew Hermione in, and that same flutter returned for a moment.

It didn't escape her notice that the four boys looked at each other after that statement. Peter looked alarmed as if frightened that Hermione would guess that the sick mother story was a cover and James and Sirius seemed to be evaluating whether Hermione could be trusted with the secret. At least that is what Hermione thought. She, of course, knew that Remus was a werewolf, but she would not tell him she knew. She remembered how shocked Professor Lupin had been when she had told him she knew. She also knew that it was major insecurity for him and she just wanted to be his friend and help him in whatever way she could.

"Thank you, Remus. I am sure it will get easier. It is still just so new and the constant reminder in my side…" She lifted her shirt just enough to show the scar that ran down her side. "… does not help matters. It is a constant reminder that I lost not only Mum and Dad but also my best friends Henri and Reginald." She pulled her shirt down again and placed a hand on it gingerly, it still hurt from time to time. She had done some thinking about Harry and Ron and had given them French-sounding names close to their real ones. Just enough to avoid any complications later.

The boys seemed to be still staring at her side, their facial expressions ranged from rage to sympathy, and it was Peter who spoke the first words in close to ten minutes after she finished talking. "What curse caused that wound? Surely any good healer could heal something like that," he said, his voice was laced with restraint as if he was forcing himself to speak, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Hermione looked over at Peter and studied him for a moment, she had heard that he just followed after James and Sirius like a lost puppy but his eyes showed intelligence and a hint of fear, as if he was scared to find out if there was a wizard out there so powerful as to cause such an injury. Hermione was convinced that Peter was smarter than he looked.

"I don't honestly know," Hermione said, shaking her head. "All I remember is a purple light, there was no incantation. The attacker must have used a silent incantation." It frustrated her, she wanted so badly to know what it was. "The wound was cursed, and I am still getting treated. Madam Pomfrey has been working with St Mungo's so hopefully, it will get better eventually," she said with a faint smile. Looking back at Peter, he seemed to be analysing what she said in his head.

"Well, at least you are getting better!" James said with a big grin, "It would be a shame to miss out on going to Hogwarts with us!" Hermione laughed at the arrogance but appreciated the change in the mood all the same.

The trolley had come around, and Hermione allowed herself to indulge on Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs and other sweet treats while she chatted with Lily. The boys were either sleeping or playing exploding snap with each other while they waited for the train to arrive in Hogsmeade. She finally felt excited about going to school in this time. She may miss her friends, but she could guarantee that the next year would not be boring!

* * *

The remainder of the train ride was spent peacefully. Hermione had eventually fallen asleep, the stresses and exertions of the day finally hitting her and she had felt the book in her hands being taken from her before she dropped it and a firm grip pulled her to rest on his shoulder. Sirius was just as friendly as she remembered. When she woke, she was sleeping on a different shoulder where Sirius was now sitting opposite her wearing a knowing grin as she looked at the owner of her shoulder pillow - Remus Lupin. His red cheeks did not escape her notice, and soon she had a red pair of cheeks to match.

"Sleep well?" Remus said sleepily, he had also fallen asleep much to Sirius' amusement. He seemed to be poking and teasing the boy as they headed out of the train. Lily and Hermione hung back to walk together and get a bit of peace and quiet from the boys. Hermione had agreed that they should wait for the crowds to dissipate. Dumbledore had promised that a carriage would be put aside for them so they could travel up to the school once the majority of the school body had departed.

Lily left the compartment for a moment to check how it was looking on the platform and returned with a determined look. "All Clear," She said with a grin and offered Hermione her arm. The two girls walked over to the solitary carriage that was left arm-in-arm, giggling to each other as Lily chattered away about Sirius' blatant yet failed attempts at flirting with Hermione.

Once they were seated, Lily appeared to change the tone from giggly to serious. "But all joking aside, what do you think of the boys?"

Hermione took a moment to reflect on the events of the afternoon. She tried to ignore her knowledge of the future in her impressions of the boys, she knew that the first war had changed Remus and Sirius for the worse and it must have changed Peter too. She thought about the carefree boys she had met on the train as separate people, for now, to not harm her impression of them.

"Well let's start with Sirius, shall we?" Hermione smiled, "He seems to be a flirt and a bit of a jokester, I can't tell whether he is serious or not but I can tell that he is noble and kind." Hermione recalled his reaction to her attack and his immediate response to hug her when she got upset.

Lily nodded, "Yes he is a chronic flirt, but Sirius means well. A bit hotheaded in my opinion but generally a good guy."

"Peter seems okay I guess, quiet and shy but I could tell that he is observant," Hermione thought of the mousy boy who sat in the corner of their compartment and barely said a word the whole trip. "He seems suspicious of what happened to me though, I don't know what to make of it," Hermione said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as she thought about him.

Lily just nodded, "He keeps to himself mostly, he follows James and Sirius around all the time but rarely says a word to anyone outside of the group."

"James seems very nice as well, though a bit arrogant." Hermione continued, she felt he had been a bit quiet in comparison to Sirius, but she still got the impression that he was a decent person.

"He can be nice… I don't want to poison you against him, but he can be a bully," Lily added, seeming of two minds as to whether she should tell Hermione, "He has chased after me ever since we started at school, but he bullied my former childhood friend Severus Snape. James is a good guy to those he feels is on the right side, but he bullies others who he feels are not on the good side and that in my opinion is just as bad." Lily scowled for a second before trying to hide it. This did not escape Hermione's notice.

"Yes, I heard something about that from the boys. Do you think… if he didn't bully people, do you think you could like him?" Hermione did not want to affect things too much, but her curious nature insisted on her finding out where Lily stood on the matter.

"I think so… if it is just between us girls; he is handsome, and I like his good side, but his arrogant, bullying nature is repulsive. I wonder what would happen if I got on his bad side, would he bully me too?" Lily bit her lip and played with her hands for a moment.

Hermione reached over and touched Lily's hand. "Your secret is safe with me. Now you have one more who can get on his case about the bullying," She said with a smile.

"Now Hermione…" Lily said with a devious grin, "What do you think about Remus?"

Hermione blushed, she hadn't really thought about it, to be honest. "He seems nice and kind…" She started, to which Lily interrupted, "I saw the way you two were looking at each other, I think he fancies you." She said with the same knowing smile that Sirius had after she woke up on the train.

"Well…;" Hermione sighed, "I admit there was something there, a moment, but it is too soon, and I barely know the guy… but maybe," She said with a coy smile.

Lily giggled and smiled, "I think you two would make a good couple, you certainly looked adorable sleeping next to each other on the train."

Hermione blushed again and looked out of the window as the castle came into view, "Well maybe, just maybe there is something, but for now, I just want to get used to school here." She said, while looking over at the entrance to the school where a certain boy with light brown hair stood waiting for her and maybe, just maybe, she felt butterflies as they drew closer to him.


	5. Chapter 5 - Time for school

It seemed surreal to walk into the Great Hall and sit down at the Gryffindor table, only to find that Harry and Ron weren't there. Hermione didn't have much time to think about it however, when she was dragged to sit with Lily on one side and Remus on the other. Peter sat on Remus' other side and James and Sirius sat in front of them. Hermione felt a bit overwhelmed by the reality of the situation, she had spent close to a month alone in the castle and now, she could guarantee that she would not be able to get a moment to herself again(unless she actively sought it out).

There was a buzz of excitement around her that she had expected from the first night of school; long forgotten the nights of homework and difficult classes. Tonight, everyone was celebrating being back with their friends.

"Lily!" A girl's voice shouted out from near the end of the Gryffindor table, Lily looked over at the girl and Hermione followed suit.

"Mary!" Lily hugged the girl as she sat down next to her. Mary was tall with straight blonde hair and a lithe build, thin and graceful.

The girl, Mary, examined Hermione and then smiled. "You must be Hermione," she said, reaching out a hand. "I am Mary Macdonald. I am a sixth year too." Hermione looked puzzled for a moment. How did she know her name? As if to answer her question, Mary added, "Lily wrote to tell me after your trip to Diagon Alley."

Hermione laughed. "Of course! That makes sense." She shook Mary's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Mary." She seemed nice, Hermione thought as she watched as more and more people joined their respective house tables, Hermione found it a little strange that she and Lily had been one of the last people to arrive in the castle but were not the last to enter the hall. Back in her time, everyone just went straight to the hall after they arrived, it seemed odd.

"I heard that they are performing extra checks on people's luggage before they allowed to enter the castle," she heard James say.

"Yes, I saw Mulciber being pulled over to one side by Professor Flitwick," Sirius said. "I am not at all surprised."

"Is that normal?" Hermione asked as the boys looked over at her with a questioning glance. "Well, at Beauxbatons, our luggage was magically scanned upon entrance to the castle, we did not have to wait for it." Luckily she had read up on this.

"Yes, it has been happening for a few years now," Remus explained. "To prevent dark artifacts being brought into the school."

"Yes, as in the present climate," Sirius added. "There are some people here who would love to help old Voldy out, here where he can't reach." He wore a sour expression and looked over at the Slytherin table.

Peter squealed slightly. "Do you have to call him that? Why not call him You-Know-Who like everyone else?" Hermione couldn't see his expression but she guessed that it was of fear.

Before anyone had a chance to reply to Peter's remark, a deafening silence filled the hall. Professor McGonagall walked up the centre aisle of the Great Hall, leading a group of first years to the top of the hall. Several were looking up at the ceiling or looking around the hall. Even the first years from wizarding families would see the hall for the first time. Hermione smiled as she remembered her time, where she had to tell everyone she knew that she had read about the ceiling in Hogwarts: A History - she had been such a know-it-all back then, well more than she was now.

They reached the end of the hall where the sorting hat lay in waiting. As it began its song, Hermione noticed that it had the same tones as the song it sang in her fifth year. It spoke of unity and courage in times of adversity. Hermione remembered what Nearly Headless Nick had said back then, that it was a common trend for the sorting hat song in times of strife.

Hermione watched as one by one the little first years were sorted into their houses, cheering each time someone was sorted into Gryffindor and clapping when they were sorted into the other houses (except for Slytherin). She couldn't help but notice, however, that there were not as many new students as they had been in her time. Even her own year had few students in it, seven in Gryffindor, that was a vast difference to the ten that were in her year. She made a mental note to look into the reasons later.

Once all the first years were sorted, Dumbledore stepped forward and clapped as the last student joined their house.

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts, to our new and old students, I hope you are ready for the fun but educational year ahead of you, I know that myself and the other professors have missed the sound of you all in the halls," He smiled, looking back and forth between the four house tables. "Before we tuck into our delicious feast, I would like to welcome one more new student."

'Oh no' thought Hermione. 'He is going to introduce me to the whole school' She tried to hide her face in her hands as her cheeks grew hot.

"We have a new sixth year student in Gryffindor House, a transfer from Beauxbatons and my niece no less, please everyone welcome Hermione Granger." Dumbledore looked at her with a twinkle as if he expected her to stand up.

"Go on Hermione, just get it over and done with quickly!" Lily encouraged her, pushing at Hermione's elbow to make her stand up. The others around her nodded and she knew it would only get worse if she didn't stand.

She quickly stood up, looked around the hall and gave an embarrassed wave before sitting down, her face the colour of a beetroot. She could feel the halls eyes on her and Lily put a kind hand on her shoulder, "See that wasn't so bad, they will soon think you have always been here," she said optimistically.

"Now with introductions complete, let the feast begin!" Dumbledore cheered and with a clap of his hands, food appeared in front of them. Roast Pork, Beef and Chicken or steamed salmon and every side you could think of. It was just like she remembered. Around her, everyone started serving up what they wanted and she felt overwhelmed for a moment.

A hand appeared with a jug of pumpkin juice and filled her glass. When she looked over, Hermione saw that Remus was looking at her with a gentle smile. "Spoilt for choice?"

Hermione nodded. "At Beauxbatons, the start of term feast is a three course meal, not really the buffet style like it is here." She said with a smile. "But I like this much better - I will be a happy girl if I can go without eating bouillabaisse ever again." She helped herself to some roast chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, and Yorkshire pudding.

Hermione looked around as she ate. There were a few faces who looked familiar, she recognised Snape immediately and saw a woman who looked like Bellatrix Black, the woman who had broken out of Azkaban in her fifth year. At the Gryffindor table, they introduced her to the head boy and girl.

"Frank Longbottom." An older boy with curly brown hair and a round face held out a hand to her. She was shocked at the resemblance to Neville, except for the mouth and nose. Hermione smiled and shook his hand before greeting the woman who had to be Neville's mother.

"Alice Fortescue. It is nice to meet you Hermione!" Alice waved at her from further down the table where she sat with a group of students she didn't know.

As they finished their main course, a series of desserts replaced the dishes. Hermione took a large slice of Pineapple upside-down-cake, something that was a party staple in the 70s and 80s but had become unpopular in her time.

She chuckled inwardly when she saw Remus take a piece of every chocolate dessert within reach. She examined his plate and then reached out to the left of Lily and handed Remus a bowl of chocolate mousse, "There! Now I think you have every chocolate dessert here!" She smiled at him, taking a single dollop of chocolate mousse before allowing him to empty the bowl.

"Thanks, Hermione, I am a serious chocoholic," he said with a bashful smile and taking a large spoonful of his chocolate medley.

"I never would have guessed." She grinned before eating her pudding in silence. Hermione was starting to feel sleepy with a stomach full of food, it had been a day with so many impressions and new faces. This Gryffindor was exhausted.

As everyone fell into a blissful silence as they were deliciously full, Dumbledore addressed the school once more. "Now that we have all filled our bellies, I have a few quick announcements before we can all go off to our beds," he said with a gentle smile at all the young faces in front of him.

"As always, the forbidden forest is out of bounds for all students. Also, the large Whomping Willow on the grounds is violent, so please stay away from it." Hermione noticed that the boys gave each other sideways glances.

"Also, I would like to introduce Professor Fenwick. He will teach Defence against the Dark Arts this year," Professor Dumbledore said as a lanky, tanned wizard stood up. Hermione recognised the name immediately, Moody had mentioned him in Order Headquarters. Death Eaters had murdered him early on during the war.

"Rumour has it; the Defence position is cursed, we have had a new professor each year. Most of the time, they just leave but…," Lily whispered to her. "Last year's professor died in a freak accident, no-one really knows what happened." Hermione nodded, she knew that in her time, the position was cursed but it was also cursed in the past too. How long had this been going on? But that was a question for another night.

"With that, I bid you all good night! I want you all bright eyed and bushy tailed for tomorrow, your first day of classes!" With that, there was an uproar as everyone started moving. Lily and Remus headed off to collect all the new first years and show them the way to the tower.

Hermione sat for a moment, too tired to move. "Hermione?"

She looked and saw Mary looking at her with concern. "I'm okay. I am just tired. Shall we head up to the tower?"

Mary nodded and the two girls followed the crowd up to Gryffindor tower. Hermione, for the first time, not thinking about her old friends as she chatted happily to Mary.

* * *

Stepping through the portrait hole, Hermione was not at all surprised by the buzz of activity in the common room. Lily and Remus had not arrived yet, they were probably showing the first years around a little before curfew. Mary and Hermione headed straight upstairs to their dormitory, where they both flopped onto the bed.

"So what do you think of Hogwarts so far?" Mary called out from her side of the room, not bothering to sit up. She patted her full belly.

Hermione followed suit. She was far too comfortable to sit up. "It is so beautiful and everyone is so nice." Hermione smiled to herself. "I think Hogwarts is great! It is strangely surreal that there are people here now, I stayed here over the summer after the attack," she said.

Mary rolled over to look at Hermione. "Attack?" She frowned with concern. Hermione rolled over with a groan and looked at her new roommate.

"The reason I transferred to the school is that my parents and two best friends were killed in a Death Eater attack. I barely survived myself."

"That is horrible, I am so sorry. I am glad you are okay though. So Dumbledore is your uncle? That must be weird, having him as your headmaster now." Mary said with a yawn.

"Not really," Hermione yawned in reply. "I barely knew him before the attack, I had no idea that my mother was a squib on his mother's side. So the whole relationship is new."

The door opened and Lily walked in, looked around and then stopped dead in her tracks before laughing out loud.

"How lazy can you two be?" She asked, "Everyone else is downstairs celebrating the start of term and here you two are flopped out like a pair of flobberworms!"

Lily went over to her bed and sat on the edge, from her bed she could easily see the pair of them. She couldn't stop laughing. Soon Lily was joined in her giggles by both Hermione and Mary who managed to pull each other up and sit down on either side of her.

"I ate too much," Mary said, patting her belly. "See I have a food baby," she said, puffing out her stomach, so she looked like she was expecting.

"Me too!" Hermione said, "Well not the food baby part. What are you going to call it?" she asked in all seriousness.

"Pudding!" Mary grinned before flopping out behind

Lily at this question flopped out behind them, all giggled out. Hermione with one last burst of energy flopped out beside them. They listened to the party downstairs but felt no need to join them and before long Hermione, Lily, Mary and 'Pudding' changed and slipped down into their own beds, ready for their first day of school.

* * *

Hermione arose early and headed down to breakfast as soon as she was dressed. She liked the idea that the Great Hall would be peaceful and she wanted to prepare for the day. She was excited to start learning. Mary and Lily was both fast asleep so she let them sleep in peace for a little while longer before the stress of homework and classes filled their days.

Arriving at the Gryffindor table, it surprised her to find Remus. He had his head in a book and a piece of toast in his mouth as if he had been caught up in what he was reading and had forgotten to take it out of his mouth again.

"Morning," Hermione said, sitting down in front of him. She saw that he also had Arithmancy as he was engrossed in the course textbook.

Remus looked up for a moment, almost surprised to see that she was there. "Morning!" he said with a friendly smile. "I didn't see you after the feast. Was everything okay?" he asked, concerned.

Hermione reached over for some toast and marmalade to hide the fact that she was blushing. He had looked for her?

"I was exhausted after the feast so Mary and I just chatted upstairs while we waited for Lily and then we went to bed shortly after Lily got back," she smiled, thinking to their giggle fit the night before.

She was just about to take a bite when she saw Lily sit down next to Remus, shortly followed by a half-awake Mary.

"Good morning Lily, Mary." Mary sat down beside her. "How is Pudding today?" Hermione grinned and then the three girls giggled, leaving a bewildered Remus in their wake.

"Did someone say pudding?" Sirius said as he sat down on the other side of Hermione. "Isn't it a bit early for dessert?"

This only caused the girls to giggle even more and the boys, now including James and Peter, looked even more confused.

Mary took a deep breath and then looked at Hermione. "Pudding is gone but will probably return after dinner tonight," she said, apparently enjoying confusing the boys.

"Pudding, boys — is Mary's food baby as it was so lovely named last night." She smiled and took a bite of her toast. Once the two other girls stopped giggling, they too started eating.

"Girls," Peter muttered, looking over at Hermione with shy apprehension.

"Well now, that we have that mystery solved, I wonder what classes we will have today," Remus wondered, putting his book away. The hall was slowly starting to fill up as scores of sleepy students started trailing in, some openly complaining about not needing to wake up so early during their holidays.

"I know!" Hermione said, looking around for Professor McGonagall. "I have read all the books, but I so want to try out the practical applications."

"You have read ALL your textbooks?" Sirius asked, eyes wide with shock. "You are even worse than Moony!"

"Well, at least I read my books," Remus added with a look of fake contempt. "I have skimmed mine, not read them in depth though.

"Well, why should I read them when we learn it in class, anyway?" Sirius said, taking some sausages and a large amount of ketchup.

Hermione looked at Sirius in surprise. She had always thought he did well at school. That was the vibe he gave off anyway. Remus chuckled when he saw her expression.

"Sirius has the talent of doing well in classes without even trying, it is incredibly annoying." Remus added.

"Well, some of us are just naturally gifted, right Prongs?" Sirius said, wrapping an arm around James with a large grin.

Just then, Professor McGonagall interrupted them. "Mr Black, you may have managed to scrape a decent grade in your classes over the last five years, I am afraid you will need to put in more effort from now on if you expect to graduate with good marks. N.E.W.T.S are a significant step up from O.W.L.S, even if you managed to get six outstandings in subjects where the teachers consider you lazy and a disturbance."

Sirius gave a look of indignation. "I will have you know Minnie that that level of laziness is actually a lot of hard work!"

Hermione saw the professor roll her eyes. "For the umpteenth time Mr Black, you will address me as Professor or Madam." She turned her back to Sirius as if to ignore any comeback and addressed the rest of the sixth-years. "You are all to meet me at my office after breakfast, each of you will have a meeting with me to determine your classes and you will get your timetables there."

With that, she headed off further down the table to hand out the timetables to the other students.

"Do you really have to wind her up like that?" Remus asked as they finished their breakfast and then headed out of the hall.

Hermione's meeting with Professor McGonagall was over quickly. As she had spent the entire summer in the castle, her prerequisites had been checked earlier. Dumbledore had arranged for papers which stated which O.W.L.S she got at Beauxbatons.

As expected, Hermione received a timetable with Care of Magical Creatures, Defence against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes on it. It was still a heavy workload, but Hermione was looking forward to it. She saw that she would normally have Arithmancy at this time but having to wait for her timetable meant that she had missed the first lesson. She was a little annoyed (no make that a little peeved) but as she could see that all sixth-years had probably missed it; she didn't mind too much.

* * *

Back in the common room, they looked at their new timetable, Hermione could see that her next class was Potions. Lily took her in the arm and they strolled down to the dungeons, Remus, James and Sirius in tow. Hermione watched as Peter headed off to the Gryffindor common room, "He has never liked Potions," Remus told her when he saw her questioning gaze, "He struggles a bit with classes, he's good at Defence Against the Dark Arts though."

Hermione nodded, she realised then how little she knew about the Peter of the past, all she knew about him was that he was James and Sirius' tag-a-long and that he betrayed them later. Who he was now, Hermione had no idea. It made her wonder whether she should get to know him better. Maybe there was some point in time that caused him to defect to the Death eaters? She mentally shook her head, she couldn't allow herself to affect the time-line more than she already had just by being there.

She thought for a moment of what it would mean to change it. Lily had, in the short time Hermione had known her, become a fast friend, a confidant. She could save them, she could give Harry a happy childhood, save Sirius from a life in Prison and Remus… save him from a lifetime of loneliness. It was so tempting, so tempting her hands shook.

"Hermione?" Lily's gentle voice pulled her out of her head, "Are you alright?" They pulled Hermione to one side and she saw the boys forming what looked like a protective shield around her. "You look very pale. Are you sure you are up to class today?"

Hermione looked at Lily's concerned eyes and sucked in a deep breath to ground herself. "Just got a little homesick," she said, trying to deflect from the fact that her heart felt like it could hop right out of her chest at that moment.

Lily looked at her sceptically, that girl was too intuitive, she could read Hermione like an open book. "It looks like a lot more than a 'little homesick'," she said, placing a hand on her hip as she seemed to give Hermione a once over. "It is only the first day, maybe you should take a trip to the hospital wing today, we can help you catch up later."

The hospital wing was the last place Hermione wanted to go, she was just feeling anxious; it was no reason to hide away there. She wanted more than anything to get to class and get a normal routine down. She just wanted to feel normal again.

"I'll be okay, I just thought about Harri and Reginald, about the fact that we should have been attending school together and well the grief snuck up on me," she sniffled and it was then she first realised that she had been crying. A handkerchief appeared in front of her and she saw that it was Sirius'. She smiled a teary smile and accepted it (only after making sure it was clean). She dried her eyes and promised to return it later.

"What can help me now, is routines, getting to class and spending time with my new friends, I need my everyday life back." The boys and Lily nodded.

"Anything you need," Remus said, placing his hand momentarily on hers before pulling it away as if he was afraid to hurt her.

"Well then, you are in for a treat, wait until you meet Professor Slughorn, he will love you!" Lily said with a huge smile, "He particularly likes the bright students and I get the feeling that you will be invited to the Slug Club just like me."

* * *

Even with their little detour, the group of Gryffindors weren't late to Potions. Hermione took a seat next to Remus when Lily told her that she had a standing agreement with a Ravenclaw by the name of Olivia to sit with her. As the class began and they were instructed to brew the potion, the Draught of the Living Death. She soon found out that while Remus was proficient in potions, it was not his best subject. It was then she remembered Harry telling her back in third year that Professor Snape brewed a potion for him as he was better at it.

She settled into the routine of chopping and crushing her ingredients, preparing the potion as her textbook instructed, helping Remus where she could though she could see that his main problem was a lack of precision, he was sloppy and his hands shook.

While she stirred her potion carefully, she looked across the classroom where she saw Snape. He was almost entranced in his potion making. Hermione knew he had to be skilled even as a teenager to be such a proficient Potions master. She noticed that he was not following the recipe; he was crushing the Sopophorous beans rather than cutting them and she wondered why he did that.

At that moment, she felt his eyes on hers and she felt contempt. He was glaring at her, down his hooked nose and his black eyes shone with irritation as if it annoyed him that she had somehow by watching him disturbed his efforts. She looked away and concentrated on her own potion, as she felt her heart thump in her chest.

"I would stay away from him if I were you," Remus said, looking over at her with a look of concern. "He… isn't the nicest person here."

"Yes, stay away from those wannabe Deatheaters." Sirius came up behind them, "Particularly stay away from that girl there." He pointed to Bellatrix. "That lovely lady is my cousin and a fouler woman than you'll find anywhere and that includes my own mother," he said with a sneer.

"Back to your potion, Mr Black, I can see it is boiling over," Slughorn called out from the other side of the room.

Sirius gave her an impish grin and then headed back, though did nothing about his potion. Hermione continued brewing her potion. It was going well, but it wasn't as black as she would like. It should be pitch black and hers was more like charcoal.

The lesson came to a close, and Professor Slughorn wandered around the room, inspecting their potions. She heard him call Snape's potion perfect and the best version of the Draught he had ever seen. Once Slughorn arrived at Hermione and Remus' table, he inspected Remus' first. "A good job Mr Lupin but a little more care and it would be a lot better, keep on trying, Old Boy. I will make a proficient potionsmaker out of you yet!" Slughorn chuckled jovially before moving over to hers.

"Ah, you must be Professor Dumbledore's niece, Miss… Granger, was it?" he asked, she saw a glint in his eyes as if he found her fascinating, simply for being the headmaster's niece. Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Well, let's have a look. Shall we?" he pulled out another leaf and let it fall into her cauldron. It fizzled away, not as fast as Snape's but still quickly enough. "A very good effort Miss Granger!" he said with a broad grin. "I look forward to seeing how you progress in this class." Hermione thanked him and took a breath of relief, it was like falling into place, getting praise from a teacher, even in the wrong time-line, made her feel like she was at home.

They started packing up their things; they had a free period so James and Sirius bolted off, something about wanting to get some Quidditch practice in before lunch. Lily, Hermione and Remus head off to the library to start on the first of many homework assignments. Just as they were about to head out of the potions classroom, a body came to block the doorway.

"What was that I heard?" came a shrill voice. "Are you that old coot's niece?" It was Bellatrix with a group of Slytherin girls.

"Bellatrix, move out the way," Remus said firmly, placing himself in front of Hermione and Lily.

"Oh, come off it Lupin, I just wanted to meet our new classmate," Bellatrix gave him a sickly sweet smile that made Hermione feel sick. "I know that you are friends with my traitor cousin but surely even you can see that he is on the wrong side of history."

She looked over at Hermione, "You would do well to ditch this little group of misfits and Mudbloods, and come join the right crowd." Bellatrix sneered at Lily. Hermione felt her blood boil and just as she was about to imitate Harry to pull her wand out and stun the girl, she felt Remus' hand stay her hand.

"Well, you should know Black, that Hermione is muggleborn just like me," Lily said, Hermione could tell that she was holding herself back. "She wants nothing to do with your kind, not after what they did."

"Oh, that is why you are here? Did something happen to your ickle muggle family? Did they get what they deserved?" Bellatrix cackled and looked over Hermione once more, this time with a look of contempt. "Why didn't I notice it before, you reek of muggles, even though you are related to Dumbledore. I rescind my offer, you are just another Mudblood." The surrounding girls giggled and then they moved out, not even giving the group a chance to respond.

Hermione dropped to her knees. She couldn't seem to catch her breath and her bag slipped from her hands. Bellatrix Black was an evil person, no doubt about it. She had read about her last year; she had tortured Neville's parents and countless others were dead because of her. She had to go to class with her? Hermione wished that it would all go away, it was too much. She had to stop that woman before she hurt anyone.

Shock and anger welled inside her and then a set of hands took hers. She opened her eyes and were met by a set of warm brown eyes, Remus. "It's okay, let's get out of here." He pulled her up, gave her a tight hug, which stilled her nerves and calmed her rage. He was so warm and soft, she never wanted to leave his embrace.

Hermione heard someone clear their throat and she looked over to see Lily holding her back and looking a little flushed. "Oh, sorry." Hermione blushed herself, pulling herself reluctantly from Remus's arms. "Thanks, Remus," she said, noticing his own cheeks flush with a light pink which she thought was adorable. What was she doing? She couldn't fall for Remus! "Let's go, I want to check out a few books before lunch," she said, taking Lily by the arm and pulling her away with her, leaving Remus back in the Potions classroom with a perplexed look of his own.


End file.
